So Dave is his name? He was tending her guitars at the August solo gig at Sneaky Pete's (Mpls) as well. I told my wife he really had the best job in the world. I'd sure like to be working the guitars for Miss KT each gig.

Don't get me wrong, he seemed like a nice guy doing his job. I'm just not used to a errrr....sorry for this....a "roadie" being part of the set for any band. No biggie though.

I didn't know his name either Paul, and he was also at the Epic back in November. I think he's considered a little more than a roadie. I didn't even notice him in the wings at either Mpls shows last year so I don't think he was intrusive. I exchanged a couple of words with him actually that night after the Epic, he said KT would be out pretty quick and he was pleasant enough. Luke was only a few feet away too pushing gear up the alley to the trailer. I was too... whatever, to go over and say anything to him though. I've forgotten names already, the "other" guy that was waiting with Patrick and I that night had no issue at all in going over to the bus to talk with Charlotte when she came out, he talked with her for quite a while.

So the drive to Newcastle was kind of fun. No unintended detours and no contact with curbs…largely because there were no curbs for some reason. It was actually sunny when I got there so I walked around town a bit. Newcastle has a great pedestrian mall which was full of people at 2pm on a Wed. Hmm… I stopped in a men’s clothing store to look around but, alas, all of the neck ties were the European narrow width which I refuse to wear. Who wears a tie that makes you look heavier? I guess it’s ok if you’re skinny but I don’t have that problem anymore.

So there are at least two ways to get really close to the stage for a gig. 1. show up early. 2. show up whenever and maneuver your way to the front without pissing off anyone too much. I prefer method #1 but do resort to #2 every so often…in Newcastle, for example. As we all know it’s a different experience to be close enough to feel the bass vibrate through your body. I’m not up for it every time but Newcastle seemed a good venue for it. I also got a close up view of Charlotte for the first time. I won't confuse her with Sam but she seems very cool in her own right. Has anyone met her? I hung out after the show to snag a set list for ST and say hello to KT. We talked a bit about the gig and my second “Week in UK” tour. She signed the list and also a 7” vinyl of Throw Me a Rope (I couldn’t resist adding one more item to my collection!).

My hotel, however, was not ready and waiting to be discovered by my GPS. I spent 2.5 hours getting to Manchester and then another hour just trying to find my hotel. Only after I gave up and called the hotel did I learn “the hotel can’t be found by most GPS systems”; a small fact I’d have appreciated a bit earlier in the day. It didn’t help that traffic was crazy and Manchester has a bad habit of poorly marking one-way streets…especially when they’re only for trolley cars.

A friend who lives in Manchester came along for her first KT experience…and probably to decide whether I was completely nuts to follow KT around. Fortunately KT came through with a serious tour de force. The show was absolutely electric from the first note. Kenny Dickenson is a Mancunian (person from Manchester; no joke) so the crowd may have been extra excited. One person even help up a lighter at the very start of the show. KT commented how nice it was to see an old-fashioned lighter versus an app of a lighter! The show ended with an extra long rendition of Suddenly I see and a sincere thank you to the crowd.

And so another “KT Week in the UK!!!” comes to a close… 5 shows, 300+ miles of driving, ZERO auto mishaps…and 1 bottle of Talisker whiskey (KT’s brand) from the duty free shop. Anyone know which variety of Talisker is KT's favorite? Rest assured they're all pretty &^$& potent